Ranked Florida's BEST community weeklyby the Florida Press Association.

Obituaries – 02-06-2013

Ronald Spurgeon Grogan

Ronald Spurgeon Grogan, 75, of Cortez, died Jan. 28. He was born Feb. 18, 1937, in Lashmeet, W.Va., and moved to Cortez in 1998 from Milwaukee.

Mr. Grogan served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He was a member of Palma Sola Bay Baptist Church. He was manager of veterans’ hospitals across the country, a Mason, member of the American Legion and Kentucky Colonels. He was the grandson of the late Rufus Spurgeon Grogan, a noted evangelist.

Visitation and Masonic service were held Feb. 4 at Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 26th Street Chapel, Bradenton. Burial with military honors was Feb. 4 at Sarasota National Cemetery, Sarasota. Memorial Donation may be made to Tidewell Hospice, 2504 34th Ave. W., Bradenton FL 34205. Condolences may be made online at www.brownandsonsfuneral.com.

Marjorie White Hancock, 96, a longtime resident of Columbus, Ga., died Jan. 10 in Bradenton. She had moved in 2011 to Florida to be with her daughter. She was born Feb. 18, 1916, in Chattahoochee County, Ga., to Albert and Annie Hines.

She was an elementary school teacher, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mid-life, and was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma. She was a charter member of Sherwood Methodist where she was active in UMW, taught Sunday school and was a member of the board. She loved gardening, RV camping, shelling, group travel abroad and volunteering at the St. Francis Hospital florist shop.

A memorial service and burial were held Jan. 19 in Columbus, Ga. Memorial donations may be made to Living Grace Methodist Church, Columbus.

Mrs. Hancock is survived by daughter Susan and husband David Cheshire of Holmes Beach; four grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

Carolyn Rikert Harris

Carolyn Rikert Harris died Jan. 27. She was born March 6, 1923, and spent her childhood in Dutchess County, N.Y.

She was educated at the Mount Hermon Schools in Northfield, Mass., and later worked as a kindergarten teacher in Portsmouth, N.H. Carolyn married Richard Harris in 1945 and they had four children. They owned Harris’s Market in Bernardston, Mass., before moving to Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The couple spent their retirement years on Anna Maria Island.

Mrs. Harris especially loved spending time with her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed helping others, socializing with friends and making puzzles. Anna Maria Island and its beaches brought her great pleasure.

A memorial service was held Feb. 2 at Roser Memorial Community Church, Anna Maria. A celebration of her life will also be held in Cape Elizabeth at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to Tidewell Veteran Honors Program, Tidewell Hospice, 5955 Rand Blvd., Sarasota FL 34238.

Mrs. Harris is survived by son Tom; daughters Sandra Batchelder, Tasnim and Elaine Lowell; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.